This little mustard number was made as a going away gift for my lovely friend Georgi, who is about to set off on a 6-month secondment to South Africa. It’s summer there at the moment, but being prepared for autumn/winter is obviously very important.
So, this hat was kind of a big deal, because it was my first real foray into circular knitting. Having stuck solidly to flat-knit bobbles, I’d been putting this off – but after creating my Chunky flat-knit cable hat pattern, I knew that it was time.
An off-the-record tip for anyone who’s feeling a bit nervous about circular knitting – I actually knit the first couple of rows of this on straight needles, before swapping into the round. This means that you’ve got your tension right from the start, and you can seam up the tiny bit that isn’t joined at the end. Not exactly by the book, but it worked wonders for me!
I’ve decided to name my patterns based on some of my favourite authors – still an English Lit student at heart! This one’s the Morris Beanie, named after Heather Morris, writer of the amazing book The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Hope that you enjoy the pattern, and check out the book too if you haven’t already!
You will need:
- 8mm circular knitting needles
- 9mm circular knitting needles
- Cable needle
- 1 skein of super chunky yarn for colour A. I used Women’s Institute Soft and Chunky Yarn from Hobbycraft, which is a bit less heavy than my usual choices, but worked really well
- A second colour of super chunky yarn (I used the Rico yarn in a navy blue) if you want to do a colour B on the rim. You don’t need much of this, so could be an opportunity to use up leftovers!
- Yarn for your pom-pom – I am currently obsessed with this Sirdar Alpine Luxe Fur Effect Yarn – it makes the most gorgeous and fluffy pom-poms ever!
- Sharp scissors for making your pom-pom (sorry Rob, I used the kitchen scissors again!)
- Yarn needle for attaching your pom-pom
How it’s done:
Cast on 56 stitches using your 8mm needles in colour B (if using two colours – if not, just stick with the same one throughout)
Rim of the hat – 1×1 rib stitch
Row 1: (K1, P1)
Rows 2-14: Switch to colour A, (K1, P1)
Body of the hat – switch to 9mm needles:
Rows 15-19: (K4, P4)
Row 20: (C2F, P4)
Row 21: (K4, P4)
Two more rounds of cabling
Rows 22-35: Repeat rows 15-21 twice
Decrease for crown:
Row 36: (K2tog, K2tog, P4) – 42 stitches
Row 37: (K2, P2tog, P2tog) – 28 stitches
Row 38: (K2tog, P2) – 21 stitches
Row 39: (K1, P2tog) – 14 stitches
Row 40: (K2tog) – 7 stitches
Cut your thread leaving approximately 10cm tail, and pull it through the remaining stitches. Tighten to close the top of the hat, and tie off.
You’re then ready to make your bobble. See my Rico Bobbles post for bobble instructions – also see image below for the dreamiest bobble yarn the world has ever seen!
No seaming to do (for circular knitting newbies like me, what a revelation!) Fold over the brim of your hat, and you’re the proud owner of a beautiful new knit!
For more free knitting patterns and craft inspiration, you can find me on Instagram as @craftitlikekatie – tag me in your makes!
Craft it like Katie 